Dirac: A Scientific BiographyPaul Adrien Maurice Dirac was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant and influential physicists of the twentieth century. Between 1925 and 1934, this Nobel Laureate revolutionized physics with his contributions to quantum theory. This book, the first full length biography of Dirac, offers a comprehensive account of his life and presents his physics in its historical context, including known areas such as cosmology and classical electron theory. The author examines Dirac's successes and failures, and pays particular attention to Dirac's opposition to modern quantum electrodynamics - an opposition based on aesthetic objections. This book, which draws extensively from unpublished sources, including Dirac's correspondence with Bohr, Heisenberg, Pauli, Schrödinger, Gamow, and other physicists, is a history of modern physics as seen through one scientist's career. |
Contents
Early years | 1 |
Discovery of quantum mechanics | 14 |
Relativity and spinning electrons | 48 |
Travels and thinking | 67 |
The socalled quantum electrodynamics | 87 |
Qaunta and fields | 118 |
Fifty years of a physicists life | 151 |
The socalled quantum electrodynamics | 165 |
The purest soul | 247 |
Philosophy in physics | 260 |
The principle of mathematical beauty | 275 |
Dirac bibliometrics | 293 |
Bibliography of P A M Dirac | 304 |
Notes and references | 315 |
| 364 | |
| 383 | |
Electrons and ether | 189 |
Just a disappointment | 205 |
Adventures in cosmology | 223 |
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Common terms and phrases
According aesthetic AHQP anti-electron argument atomic Bohr Bohr's calculations Cambridge Chapter charge conference considered Copenhagen cosmology developed Dirac equation Dirac's paper Dirac's theory discussed dynamics Eddington Ehrenfest Einstein electromagnetic field electron ether existence experimental February field theory formalism formula Fowler fundamental Gamow gravitational Hamiltonian Heisenberg Ibid idea interaction interest interpretation interview Jordan Kapitza Club Klein later lecture letter Lorentz magnetic magnetic monopole mass mathematical beauty matrix matrix mechanics Mehra method monopole nature negative energy negative-energy neutrino Nobel November observable Oppenheimer P. A. M. Dirac particles Pauli Peierls philosophical physical theory physicists Poisson bracket positron principle probably problem proton PRSL q-number quantities quantization quantum electrodynamics quantum field quantum field theory quantum mechanics quantum theory quoted radiation Rechenberg referred result Schrödinger Solvay Solvay Congress spin Tamm theoretical physics theory of relativity tion transformation University variables Vleck wave equation wave function wave mechanics Weyl Weyl's Wigner